Football Genius

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2007

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-10

Chapters 11-16

Chapters 17-21

Chapters 22-28

Chapters 29-34

Chapters 35-41

Chapters 42-50

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Chapters 22-28Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 22 Summary

Tate surprisingly appears behind Troy at the compound, and together they approach Seth’s house, where he is watching the game with three other players. Tate convinces Seth to give Troy another chance. Seth agrees, but only if he can do it under the pressure of performing in front of Seth’s teammates.

Chapter 23 Summary

Seth quickly calls the security service to check in and put more pressure on Troy. Almost immediately, however, Troy begins predicting plays. Seth and the other players are stunned and embrace Troy’s ability.

Chapter 24 Summary

Seth drives Tate and Troy home. Afterward, Seth and Troy briefly talk about Troy’s family life and Troy’s father leaving him. Troy asks Seth to drop him off at the top of the dusty lane so that Troy’s mom will not find out that he left the house. Seth instead drives him to the house and makes Troy tell his mom the truth about what happened.

They all discuss how Seth can bring Troy to meet the head coach, Coach McFadden. Tessa is worried about the conflict with Coach Krock and that McFadden and Krock might eventually end up competing for the head coaching position if the Falcons don’t do well. Seth insists it will all be ok if they can just win. Tessa is worried about losing her job.

Seth offers her $10,000 to let him work with Troy. Seth reasons that if she loses her job, that will be enough to get her going again.

Tessa is insulted by the proposition: “I’ve gone twelve years without handouts from any man […] I sure as heck am not going to start now” (133). She asks Seth to leave. Then she turns on Troy, scolding him for his deceitful and selfish behavior.

Chapter 25 Summary

At school the next day, Troy gives the ball to Jamie, who insults the Falcons. Troy manages to maintain his cool but is determined to get back at Jamie. He knows he cannot outshine him on the football field, so he comes up with another plan.

That afternoon, Nathan and Troy go to Troy’s house after school. Troy makes Nathan play the Madden video game in his room with the volume turned up loud. Troy then sneaks to Seth’s house to convince him to secretly bring him to see Coach McFadden. Seth is reluctant at first, worried that Troy’s mom will be angry. Realizing he is running out of time in his career, Seth quickly comes around.

Chapter 26 Summary

Seth takes Troy to Coach McFadden’s office to show McFadden what Troy can do. Coach Krock is already there and objects to Troy’s “parlor trick” (140). Coach McFadden is somewhat amused and runs some film to see what happens. Troy passes all the tests. Seth explains how Troy’s mom works for the PR department and how he met Troy on the sidelines at Cowboys game.

Coach Krock becomes very angry at the idea that a child could take his job and ruin their reputations. McFadden tries to convince Krock that it is a good idea. If they can turn their season around, Krock will get the next head coaching job that comes up. Krock refuses to agree, threatening that that if the Falcons keep losing and he gets promoted to head coach as a result, he will fire the whole PR team. He storms out.

Chapter 27 Summary

McFadden admits he is in a difficult position and cannot accept Troy’s help. He shows Troy the door, assuring Troy that his mom’s job is safe so long as McFadden remains the head coach.

Krock appears and threatens Seth, saying he is getting old and has “lost a step” (146). Troy and Seth are both aware what this phrase means; that time is running out for Seth. Seth and Troy drive back to Seth’s place, feeling defeated. Seth asks Troy if his mom is dating anyone. Troy answers that she is not. As he leaves, Troy invites Seth to come watch his football team play one day. Seth says he might, once Seth’s mom is no longer mad at him. Seth notes that it is almost seven o’ clock. Troy suddenly remembers Nathan and takes off, rushing home.

Chapter 28 Summary

When Troy gets home, he just manages to help Nathan escape before his mom breaks down the door. Rather than lie to her, Troy tells her the entire story, including that Krock has threatened her job if he takes over as head coach. To his surprise, his mom is not very angry. She is glad he told the truth and is not ignoring her. Troy realizes that she is particularly sensitive to that behavior because that this is something his father must have done to her in the past.

Later that night as he lies in bed, Troy hears the Midnight Express train pass by. He thinks about what it is to be a man.

Chapters 22-28 Analysis

In these chapters, we see Troy go through a major transformation. Aided by his allies Tate and Nathan, he can approach Seth and reveal his true identity. Subsequently with this mentor on his side, Troy gains the upper hand on Krock for a moment and moves closer towards gaining the talisman of displaying his gift to the world. The quest is not simple, and the complexities of the adult world reveal themselves to Troy. McFadden, Seth and Krock are all themselves struggling to secure their place in this competitive world.

It is at this point that Troy steps back and recognizes what is most important in his world. His relationship with his mother is strengthened when he tells her the truth about his ruse involving Nathan and Seth. Moreover, the relationship grows when she in turn recognizes his need to move out of the child world and begin becoming an adult. This is exhibited by her expression to him of her fears and vulnerabilities in relationships.

Troy’s consideration of what it is to be a man at the end of this section is a typical coming-of-age trope, as the maturing child considers, and often reconsiders, what they value before transitioning into adulthood. Troy began the novel sneaking around and lying to his mother, but with the help of Seth (who refused to help Troy lie to his mother in their initial encounter), Troy is reconsidering these actions and chooses to tell his mother the truth following his latest visit to the Falcons’ coaching staff, suggesting that he has already come to value honesty over getting his way. The symbol of the train appears again as he considers what kind of man he will become—whether that’s a man like his father or a man of his own making. This thought develops the theme “Personal Identity as Self-Created.”

Seth’s interest in Tessa’s dating life also foreshadows the romantic subplot between the pair. Seth isn’t merely a father figure in his goal of helping Troy reveal his abilities, he’s also a potential stepfather in his courtship of Tessa. Tessa’s offended reaction to Seth’s offer of money reveals Tessa’s pride and the clear struggle she’s been through in supporting herself and Troy for many years alone.